Auto-Safety Plan Lacks Power to Order Immediate Recalls, U.S. Agency Says

By John Hughes -
May 19, 2010

The U.S. government wouldn’t get the
power it needs to order immediate auto recalls under Senate
legislation drafted after Toyota Motor Corp.’s vehicle defects,
the chief federal auto regulator said today.

The measure, by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, would let regulators require consumer notification
of safety hazards and remedies to correct a flaw. That “does
not constitute a recall,” said David Strickland, director of
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“If the threat to human life is truly imminent, the agency
needs to act quickly, and not be slowed down by a lengthy
procedural process,” Strickland said in testimony prepared for
a hearing of Rockefeller’s committee in Washington.

Strickland is trying to shape legislation as the Senate and
House advance plans to toughen auto-safety oversight in response
to Toyota’s vehicle flaws. The Toyota City, Japan-based company
recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide in the past year
for accelerator-pedal defects.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, paid the maximum
$16.4 million U.S. fine yesterday for failing to alert
regulators about a defect tied to unintended acceleration.
Regulators said Toyota waited at least four months, violating
the law that requires notification within five days.

Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, is proposing steps
such as requiring standards for vehicle “black boxes,” brake
overrides and floor-pedal placements in his legislation. The
plan increases per-vehicle penalties to $25,000 from $5,000, and
removes a fee cap for intentionally failing to report defects.

The House version sponsored by Representative Henry Waxman,
a California Democrat, differs from the Senate plan by giving
Strickland the power to order immediate recalls. Several other
provisions in the House measure are similar to those in the
Senate.